Spring-hinge.



No. 808,126. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. G. S. VAN WAGONER & LE DRU R.POMEROY.

SPRING HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. so, 1903.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS S. VAN WVAGONER AND LE DRU R. POMEROY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,ASSIGNORS TO THE VAN WAGONER. COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATIONOF DELAWVARE.

SPRING-HINGE.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed September 30, 1903. Serial No. 175,156.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CORNELIUS S. VAN

WAGONER and LE DRU R. POMEROY, citizens of the United States, residingat Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Spring-Hinges, of which the following isa specification.

Our invention relates to spring hinges which operate to hold a dooreither in its closed or fully-open positions, as well as to that classof hinges which control a door only with respect to its closing movementand leave it free to be moved to any desired rearward position. v

In hinges of the character indicated the hinge-leaves are usuallyprovided With ears or knuckles which are connected in pairs at oppositeends of the hinge to afford an intermediate space for the proper workingof the controlling-spring or its connecting mechanism, and when thehinge-leaves are constructed of sheet-metal there is a tendency of theleaves to bend between the two pintle connections when the hinge issubjected to torsional strains incident to use.

The main object of our invention is the production of a cheapsheet-metal spring-hinge which shall possess the rigidity, strength, anddurability of the ordinary wrought or cast metal hinges; and with thisobject in view our invention, broadly stated, consists in a pair ofsheet-metal hinge-leaves having appropriately-projecting tubularknuckles, which form a continuous pintle-barrel ex-. tending from oneend of the connected leaves to within a short distance of the oppositeend, and a spring mounted on one of said leaves and connected to theother leaf by a link connection beyond the terminal of saidpintlebarrel, as will be hereinafter more particularly described.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1is a front view of a spring-hinge embodying the main features of ourinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are views of opposite sides or edges of saidhinge. Fig. 4 is an end View of said hinge with the leaves in theirclosed positions. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the leaves in theiropen position, and Fig. 6 is an end view of a hinge, illustrating amodified form of link connection between the spring and hinge-leaf whichis used when the hinge is intended to control the closing movement of adoor and leave it free to be moved to any desired rearward position.

The leaves A and B of the hinge illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusiveare developed from appropriately shaped sheet metal blanks, which areapproximately of the same size and shape, except as to that portion orportions thereof from which the hinge-knuckles are formed. The metal atthe adjacent edges of both leaves is bent outwardly on a line parallelwith the axis of the hinge to form a projecting portion a on the leaf Asubstantially at right angles to the plane of the leaf and a similarprojecting portion 5 on the leaf B. These outwardly-projecting or bentportions of the leaves serve to stiffen the leaves in lines parallel tothe axis of the hinge and prevent said leaves from bending under suchtorsional strains as the hinge is liable to be subjected to when in use.Said outwardlyprojecting portions of the leaves serve also to locate theaxis of the hinge a suflicient distance from the lane of the leaves forthe proper working of the controlling-spring The leaf A is provided withtwo tubularshaped knuckles a and a formed at the outer edge of theprojecting portion a, said knuckles being developed from suitably shapedtongues projecting from the inner edge of the sheet-metal blank fromwhich the leaf is formed. The knuckle a is located at one end of theleaf and the knuckle a a short distance from the opposite end, theintervening space being occupied by a muchlonger knuckle 5, formed in asimilar manner on the leaf B. The metal adjacent to each of the knucklesa and a is stifi'ened laterally by means of corrugations or ribs a,formed by suitable dies in the projecting portion a of the leaf, asclearly shown in Fig. 2. The metal adjacent to the knuckle b on the leafB is stiffened in the same manner by corrugations or ribs b N, locatednear the ends of said knuckle, as best shown in Fig. 3. The

two leaves are united by a single pintle C, which passes through all ofthe knuckles a, b, and a said knuckles forming a continuouspintle-barrel extending from one end to within a short distance of theopposite end of. the hinge.

As thus far described it will be readily seen that the unbroken hingeconnection formed at the edges of the projecting portions of the twohinge-leaves and extending practically across the entire face of thehinge gives greater strength-and rigidity than could possibly hepossessed by a construction which necessitates connecting the leaves attwo widely-separated points, as is usual in prior sheetmetalspring-hinges.

Mounted on the leaf B is a spring E, the form and arrangement of whichmay be widely varied without departure from the main features of ourinvention. As shown, said spring E is made of comparatively heavyspringwire, the latter being bent to form a loop or series of loops efrom which the two ends of the wire extend or project to form springarms6 and e. The arm e is inserted in a loop (1, formed on the leaf B bycutting the metal along parallel lines and forcing the interme diatemetal outwardly, as will be readily un derstood, said loop cl being solocated that the loops (2 of the spring E will rest or bear against theprojecting portion of the leaf. Said spring is secured to said leaf bysaid loop (1 and alug or projectiond at the upper edge of the leaf, saidlug being formed by cutting and bending a portion of the metal of theleaf outwardly and serving as a stop or abutment for preventing thespring from being withdrawn from the loop 01, all of which will bereadily understood.

Beyond the terminal ofthe pintle O is a link G, having a hooked end. g,which is inserted in a slot g in the leaf A, said hook engaging with theclosed end of said slot to form a hinge connection between the link andleaf A, said hinge connection being to the rear of the axial line of thehinge, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The free end of link G is providedwith a hole 9 through which isinserted the end of arm e of the spring E,said arm being under sufficient tension to exert a pulling force on theleaf A sufficient to hold the two leaves in their closed position. Thedistance between the pivotal point of the link G and the center of thehole in its free end is approximately equal to the distance between saidpivotal point and the axial line of the hinge, so that when the hinge isopened the springarm 6 will move across the axial line of the hinge,said arm being bent, as at a to permit it to pass beneath thepintle-barrel.

When the hinge is opened, the link G is moved on its pivotal point bythe spring-arm e, and when the leaves are approximately at right anglesto each other the end of said arm will be in line with the hinge-axis,the spring during the movement of the leaves to that point exerting itspower to return the leaves to their closed position. When the leaves areopened beyond a ninety-degree position, or thereabout, the end of thespringarm 6 will be carried across the axial line of the hinge and willthereafter exert its force to move the leaves to their fully-openpositions. (Illustrated in Fig. 5.)

The hinge above described is what is known as a hold-back spring-hinge.In Fig. 6 we show an end view of a spring-hinge which controls theclosing movement of a door, but which permits the latter to be moved toany desired rearward position free from the control of the spring. Saidhinge is identical in construction with the hinge hereinbeforedescribed, except as to the form of the link G, which connects thespring E to the leaf A. Said link G is provided with a projection orstop 9 which engages with the hinge-leaf A and prevents the free end ofthe link from moving beyond the axial line of the hinge. When the leavesare opened, the spring will exert its force to return them to theirclosed positions until said leaves are moved to approximately rightangles to each other. In this position the lower end of the spring-arm eat its point of connection with the link G will be in line with thehinge-axis and will be prevented from moving across said axis by thestop g on the link G; but said arm being free to rotate in said link thehinge-leaves may be moved to any desired rearward position free from thecontrol of said spring, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a spring-hinge the combination of a pair of hinge-leaves providedwith appropriatelyprojecting tubular knuckles, a pintle passing throughsaid knuckles for connecting and the axial line of the hinge,substantially as described.

2. In a spring-hinge, the combination of a pair of hinge-leaves formedfrom appropriately-shaped sheet-metal blanks, said leaves being providedwith projecting tubular knuckles forming a continuous pintle-barrel, apintle passing through said knuckles and connecting said leavestogether, a link hinged to one of said leaves beyond the terminal ofsaid pintle and to the rear of the axial line of the hinge, and a springmounted on the other of said leaves and connected to the free end ofsaid link for normally holding said leaves in their closed positions,substantially as described.

3. In a spring-hinge the combination of a pair of sheet-metalhinge-leaves having appropriatelvprojecting ears or knuckles, a

necting said leaves together, a spring having one endfixedly secured toone of said leaves and the other end flexibly connected to the other ofsaid leaves, said flexible connection being beyond the terminal of saidpintle and normallyin a plane between the plane of the leaves and theaxial line of the hinge.

4. In a spring-hinge, the combination of a pair of hinge-leaves formedfrom appropriately-shaped sheet-metal blanks, said leaves having theirinner edges bent outwardly substantially at right an les to the plane ofthe leaves, tubular knuck es formed at the ed es oi said projectingportions, said knuck es forming a continuous pintle-barrel, a pintlepassing through said knuckles and connecting said leaves together, alink hinged to one of said leaves beyond the terminal of said pintle andto the rear of the axial line of the hinge, and a spring mounted on theother of said leaves having an arm secured to the free end of said linkfor normally holding said leaves in their closed positions,substantially as described.

5. In a spring-hinge, the combination of a pair of hinge-leaves formedfrom appropriately shaped sheet-metal blanks, said leaves being providedwith projecting tubular knuckles forming a continuous pintle-barrel, apintle passing throu h said knuckles, a link hinged to one of said eavesbeyond the terminal of said pintle and to the rear of the hinge-axis, aspring secured to the other of said leaves having an arm secured to thefree end of said link for normally holding said leaves in their closedpositions, and means for limiting the movement of said link when theleaves are opened, substantially as and for other of said leaves, aspring inserted in said loop having an arm secured to the free end ofsaid link, and means for confining said spring in said loop,substantially as described.

7. In a spring-hinge the combination of a pair of sheet-metalhinge-leaves having applrlopriately projecting ears or knuckles, a

k pivotally connected to one of said leaves and adapted to move acrossthe axial line of the hinge, a loop internally formed on the other ofsaid leaves, and a two-armed spring having one of its arms inserted insaid loop and the other suitably connected to the free end of said link,said spring operating to normally maintain said link in a plane betweenthe plane of the hinge-leaves and the axial line of the hinge.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CORNELIUS S. VAN WAGONER. LE DRU R. POMEROY. Witnesses:

AMos A,. DENISON, EDWIN HEINA.

